A character recognition system typically reads one or more characters (numbers or letters) and identifies the characters so that a process involving the characters can be automated. For instance, such a system is commonly used to process a payment check at a point of sale. Here, the check includes a series of special characters located at the bottom of the check which are printed with a magnetic ink. These special characters are known as magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) characters, and were developed by the banking industry to assist in payment check processing and tracking. The MICR characters include such information as bank routing number, customer account number, check sequence number, or other information as specified by individual banks or credit institutions.
The check is passed through the character recognition system, which reads the MICR characters magnetically with a magnetic read head, or optically with an optical scanner, or both. With every pass, loose particles from the check can be deposited on the read head or scanner. In some character recognition systems, a single check is passed through twice, once for the front of the check and once for the back of the check. Over time, dirt, ink and dust from the checks can build up on the read head/scanner and cause the character recognition system to misidentify characters. At this point, the system is error prone and an operator must service the system, e.g., by cleaning the read head/scanner and recalibrating.
Determining when to service the character recognition system is a challenge. Ideally, the system should be cleaned before it becomes error prone. Nevertheless, because the cleaning process is not trivial, it would be burdensome for the operator to clean the system after every use or after every business day.
Currently, the operator can determine when the system needs servicing by passing a test document through the system. The test document usually contains a known pattern, such as a bar code. If the system fails to recognize the test pattern accurately, servicing is needed. While this process helps the operator to determine when servicing is needed, it still requires the operator to pass the test document through the system periodically throughout the business day. Even so, the system's performance can fall below an acceptable level between tests, and the operator might not detect this degradation until after several checks have been incorrectly processed.
Accordingly, a need exists for a system and method that provides ongoing performance monitoring of a character recognition system. The system and method should be automated, i.e. requiring no human intervention, and easily implemented in existing character recognition systems. The present invention addresses such a need.